The AP reports: While Baron Davis just sat and watched. Fighting off a cold that he said sapped his energy, Amare Stoudemire scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and Phoenix recovered after blowing a 17-point lead for a 122-116 victory Monday night. The Warriors’ loss clinched the final playoff spot in the West for Denver. Steve Nash nearly had a triple-double with 13 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds as the Suns remained in the midst of a scramble for playoff positioning and a possible home-court advantage in the first round. Stephen Jackson scored 16 of his 23 points in the Warriors’ third-quarter comeback. Monta Ellis added 20 points, Kelenna Azubuike 17 and Andris Biedrins 16… Shaquille O’Neal had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Phoenix, but sat while coach Mike D’Antoni went with a smaller lineup during the decisive late stretch. Barbosa scored 19 and Raja Bell 16.
Category: Golden State Warriors Blog
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Apr. 12: Warriors 122, Clippers 116
The AP reports: Baron Davis had 25 points and nine assists, Stephen Jackson added 28 points and the Golden State Warriors kept their waning playoff hopes realistic with a 122-116 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins scored 17 points apiece for the Warriors, whose victory coupled with the Nuggets’ 124-97 loss at Utah earlier in the night left Golden State and Denver tied for eighth place in the Western Conference standings at 48-32… Cuttino Mobley had 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Clippers lost their fifth straight game, including four in a row against playoff contenders… Al Thornton had 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Elton Brand added 21 points and 14 rebounds as the Clippers lost the season series with Golden State despite several late surges. Corey Maggette scored 22 points after missing the last two games with a strained hamstring.
Apr. 10: Nuggets 114, Warriors 105
The AP reports: Allen Iverson squared up, hit a 3-pointer and raised his arms to the air, having thwarted Golden State’s final charge. There was no downplaying the importance of this win that put the Denver Nuggets in control of the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Iverson scored 33 points, J.R. Smith added 24 off the bench and the Nuggets overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter to win their playoff showdown with the Warriors 114-105 Thursday night… Golden State committed an uncharacteristically high 18 turnovers, missed nine of 24 free throws and got poor shooting nights from Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Davis had a triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but shot only 9-for-25. Jackson had 18 points on 5-for-17 shooting. Monta Ellis led the way with 29 points and Al Harrington added 20.
Apr. 8: Warriors 140, Kings 132
The AP reports: Baron Davis had 33 points and nine assists, Stephen Jackson added 20 points and the Warriors stayed in a tie with Denver for the West’s final berth in their highest-scoring game of the season, a 140-132 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Andris Biedrins had 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Warriors (47-31) as they kept pace in the power-packed West, where one club is certain to end up with the best record in NBA history for a non-playoff team… Al Harrington scored 17 points and Monta Ellis had 16 as Golden State scored 39 first-quarter points and never trailed in its third win in four games against its Northern California rivals—but the Warriors’ shoddy defense never allowed them to open a big lead, either… Francisco Garcia matched his career high with 31 points and Kevin Martin had 29—but just two in the fourth quarter—for the Kings, who matched the Warriors’ frenetic pace for much of an entertaining night.
Warriors recall Patrick O`Bryant from D-League
The Golden State Warriors have recalled center Patrick O’Bryant from the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin announced today.
O’Bryant, who was originally assigned to the Jam on March 10, 2008, appeared in eight games for Bakersfield, averaging 16.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.50 blocks in 36.0 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old tallied four double-doubles for the Jam, including a 22-point/14-rebound/seven-block effort vs. Idaho on April 4. He has appeared in 22 games for Golden State this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per contest.
Apr. 6: Hornets 108, Warriors 96
The AP reports: Chris Paul had 16 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds and New Orleans tied a franchise record for single-season victories with 54 in a 108-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday… Peja Stojakovic and David West each scored 25 points, helping New Orleans close the game on an 18-6 run after Golden State had rallied to tie the game at 90 early in the fourth quarter… Monta Ellis had 35 points and 10 rebounds to keep the Warriors close late into the final period, which Warriors coach Don Nelson called “a bright spot in kind of a gloomy game.” … Baron Davis and Andris Biedrins each scored 17 points and Biedrins also had 15 rebounds for Golden State (46-31), which has lost three of four games and will need a strong finish to earn a playoff berth.
Apr. 4: Warriors 117, Grizzlies 86
The AP reports: Andris Biedrins had 21 points and 17 rebounds, and the Warriors climbed within a half-game of eighth place in the Western Conference with a 117-86 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night… Monta Ellis scored 19 points, while Kelenna Azubuike added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson finished with 14 points, Marco Belinelli had a career-high 13 and Brandan Wright scored 10… Rudy Gay led Memphis with 23 points, while Hakim Warrick finished with 13 and Kyle Lowry had 12… The Warriors held a 28-point lead in the third and led 90-66 entering the fourth.
Apr. 2: Mavs 111, Warriors 86
The AP reports: Dirk Nowitzki was back, scoring 18 points in his unexpected start Wednesday night, and the Mavericks posted a 111-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors that could have big implications in a tight Western Conference playoff race… “There was already a sense of urgency. … And then seeing Dirk out there, it was very inspiring,” said Jason Terry, who matched a season-high with 31 points… Stephen Jackson had only two points on 1-of-11 shooting, and Al Harrington was 1-of-9 with six points. Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 27 points, while Baron Davis had 20… Josh Howard added 28 points for the Mavericks, while Kidd had a season-high 17 assists with 11 rebounds and five points.
Apr. 1: Spurs 116, Warriors 92
The AP reports: The San Antonio Spurs’ Big Three had a good night and two of the Golden State Warriors’ top three scorers had a bad one… Tony Parker led San Antonio with 26 points for a 116-92 victory Tuesday, with Tim Duncan adding 17 points and 12 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scoring 16… Baron Davis led the Warriors with 19 points in a game the Spurs controlled most of the way. Monta Ellis added 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting and had five turnovers for the Warriors. Stephen Jackson was just 2-of-12 from the field for six points, well below his 20-plus scoring average… C.J. Watson added 13 points for Golden State. Michael Finley scored 13 for San Antonio and Bruce Bowen 12. Fabricio Oberto grabbed 10 boards for the Spurs.
J-Rich and Melo win Player of Week
The Charlotte Bobcats’ Jason Richardson and the Denver Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, March 24, through Sunday, March 30. More info here.
J-Rich is playing well but it’s too little, too late for the Bobcats, who need a miracle to make the playoffs and may be having issues with head coach Sam Vincent, who several newspapers recently reported may not be kept around next season.
As for Melo, all recent talk was that they might miss the playoffs, as they were sitting in 9th place in the West for a while, but as of today they’ve jumped up to 7th, but only by virtue of a tie-breaker with the Mavericks and Warriors. I think Denver may stay in there.
Anyway, the Western conference playoff race is awesome. Even if you’re a fan of an East squad, watch the West closely, because that’s where it’s at.